


It's A Wonderful Life, Charlie Nolan

by meretricula



Category: Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong (Graphic Novel)
Genre: Christmas Eve, Coming Out, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 09:55:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13121325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meretricula/pseuds/meretricula
Summary: Coming out to Charlie's parents goes about as well as expected.





	It's A Wonderful Life, Charlie Nolan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [miss_pryss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_pryss/gifts).



"Are you planning on coming out from under there anytime soon?" Nate asked. 

"I'm comfortable down here," Charlie said. "I've got a book." 

"Your cell phone is going to run out of battery if you keep using it as a flashlight," Nate pointed out. 

"I'll think of something when that happens." 

"Okay," Nate said. Charlie heard a quiet groan, and then Nate was crawling under the bed next to him, indiscriminately banging his head and elbows and knees into things along the way. "We are definitely too old to be hiding out down here. Next year can't you hide in the den instead? We can, like, designate it as your man-cave or something. That sounds super heterosexual, your parents would love it." 

"Lay off my parents, okay? I just -- I don't want to do this right now." 

"Okay," Nate said. 

"What does that mean?" Charlie asked suspiciously. "Okay like you're going to pretend to let it go but bring it up as evidence of how I can't handle healthy disagreement the next time we have a fight? Okay like you don't really care about my parents? Okay like it doesn't matter because you're going to break up with me in a couple of weeks anyway?" 

"Okay like okay! Jesus fucking Christ, Charlie! I'm trying to be a supportive boyfriend here, all right? If you don't want to talk about the shitfit your parents just threw we don't have to. If you want me to run downstairs and fake an emergency phone call so we can get out of here, we can do that instead. And I'm not about to break up with you, what the fuck. Do you think I had an agonizing conversation about my sexuality with my parents while we were waiting for Elijah the last time I went home for seder so that I could dump you less than a year later? They would literally disown me and adopt you instead." 

"Your parents wouldn't disown you," Charlie muttered. "Your parents think you're great. It's weird how great they think you are." 

"My parents are extremely perceptive people who appreciate the brilliance of their only child," Nate said smugly. "And who _also_ think that you're so great that they definitely already told me not to fuck it up, because I'm never going to do better than you." 

"That's... actually kind of nice," Charlie said. "We should have done Christmas Eve with them instead." 

"There's still time to order extra Chinese, climb out the window and run across the street." Nate fumbled for Charlie's hand and squeezed. "Or we could go back downstairs and explain bisexuality to your mom. It's up to you." 

"You're doing better at the supportive boyfriend thing than I would have expected." Charlie squeezed Nate's hand in return and rested his head on his shoulder. "It's throwing me off my game. Do you want to tell me about this hypothetical den we have in the future?" 

"Well, it -- um. I just -- I thought it would make sense, you know, since we're graduating and we've been dating for a while -- " 

Charlie laughed. "Nate, did you just ask me to move in with you while we're hiding from my parents under my childhood bed?" 

"You're making it sound so sordid," Nate complained. "It's a fiscally sound decision that will let us practice compromising with each other and test our long-term compatibility. My mom thought it was a great idea." 

"I think it's a great idea too," Charlie said firmly. "And if my mom tries telling me again that lots of people experiment in college and it doesn't have to mean anything, we're going to ask her to help us look for apartments." 

"I feel like that's punishing us more than her," Nate said, but he let Charlie push him out from under the bed and was waiting with a hand outstretched when Charlie crawled out after him. 

"Yeah, but when she doesn't actually do it, it'll make my dad way more sympathetic," Charlie pointed out. 

"Charlie Nolan, that is downright devious," Nate said. "You'd better cut the Machiavellian scheming out before I'm forced to ravish you on this extremely small bed." 

A knock on the door interrupted before Charlie could either veto or second the motion for ravishment. "Boys? Are you all right? If you're ready to come down, Charlie's mother wants to apologize."

"Time to face the music, I guess," Charlie said. He straightened up and put his shoulders back, putting on what Nate mockingly called his game face. "You ready?" 

"Yeah," Nate agreed. "Don't worry, I've got your back. That's the right jock-speak for the situation, right?" 

"Yeah," Charlie said fondly. "I love you too."


End file.
